Veteran quarterback P.J. Walker did not have a long tenure with the Chicago Bears. Walker was signed to a two-year, $4.15 million deal as a free agent in Mar. 2023 to be the backup behind starter Justin Fields.
However, the Bears decided to go in a different direction at QB2, cutting ties with Walker, and instead rolling with UDFA Tyson Bagent. Since being cut by Chicago, Walker has spent time with the Cleveland Browns (2023 season) and Seattle Seahawks (2024).
After not making the 53-man roster out of preseason with Seattle, Walker decided to take his talents north of the border to the CFL. The former Bear signed with the Calgary Stampeders on October 8, 2024, after the Stamps acquired his negotiation list rights in September in a trade with the Toronto Argonauts.
The former Bears signal caller did not see any playing time last season in the CFL as he spent the last few weeks of the 2024 campaign on their practice roster. Walker re-signed with Calgary on a two-year deal this offseason.
Fast forward to this year, and Walker will be the backup to Vernon Adams Jr., who signed with Calgary in the offseason.
TSN’s Dave Naylor mentioned Walker as one of the several former NFL players to keep an eye out for during CFL training camp.
"It's not that often we see quarterbacks come to the Canadian Football League with NFL starts on their resume, and he has nine of them," Naylor said (h/t Billy Heyen of Sporting News). "... He had played in the UFL very successfully and parlayed that into an NFL opportunity."
In his first preseason action with the Stamps, Walker completed 9-of-12 passes for 129 yards against the Edmonton Elks. According to Naylor, the former NFL QB didn’t play well in his first CFL action, but Calgary’s head coach pointed out that Walker didn’t have a clean pocket to work from.
The Stampeders do not have any more preseason games, so Walker’s next chance to play might come in the regular season. That said, if Walker can show that he can play well in the CFL, which has a wider field, NFL teams might consider giving him another look.